Digimon: Lost Memories
by Orrenn
Summary: Young guys and girls from all over the world find themselves transported to a world of fantasy. There they encounter ferocious monsters and a mysterious child with amnesia.
1. Episode 1: Burning Soul

I don't expect to update this one as much as I might like since I will be focusing more on my pokemon fic, but please, I do hope that you all enjoy it, and I will appreciate any helpful critique and reviews that you can give. Also, I plan to update my profile soon with information on my fics, and most specifically, character profiles for the characters and their Digimon. This will be all of the characters, and not just the few introduced in this chapter. Also, all of the Digimon here in this story are from various other sources. None of them are fan created. Only the human characters and the direct plot are my own. Thank you and again, I hope that everyone enjoys.

Digimon: Lost Memories

Episode 1:

Burning Soul

_Who… am I…? _The boy slowly opened his eyes to the world around him. _This… this isn't the world I knew… No… No, I can't remember… Who am I? Where did I come from? This… place… I can't… I just can't remember… What… what world was before this? Was everything else up until now just a dream? Or… Am I dead?_ All around him, the boy could only see a brilliant white light. There was no ground… no sky… only light. _I can't… remember ever even being alive… Does that, mean that I'm dead; or does it mean…? I'm so… confused… I want… I want to know… _"Is there anybody out there!" he shouted as loud as he could. There was no reply, at least, none at first, but then he heard a soft voice faintly reply.

"I-is someone… is someone there? …Please… Please help me. …I'm… I'm scared."

* * *

_My name's Dayton. I'm thirteen years old, I have brown eyes, red hair, and to top it all off, I'm one of the best surfers on Oahu, though I'm the only one who thinks so… Still, that's not going to get me down. If nothing else, I'm definitely not a bad surfer, and I'm getting better every day. However, this story has nothing to do with surfing. This is the story of how my life was changed completely, and it all started on that day…_

_My mom asked me to run down to the market and pick up groceries. Being the great guy that I am, I decided to help her out. I also decided to take a shortcut through this alleyway near our apartment building, and as I was heading through it, something in the sky caught my eye. I looked up, and I saw what I thought at the time to be a meteor. It looked just like a fireball come from the heart of the sun itself. As it got closer, the fire went out and I lost sight of it, but not for long. It smacked right into my forehead! Needless to say, I was out cold, but little did I know that when I awoke, my life would be much, much different._

Dayton grimaced in pain. "Did I win…?" he murmured unconsciously. He slowly began to come to, and as he did, he opened his eyes. _This isn't Honolulu… How'd I get out here?_ He was on the ground staring up at the dense jungle foliage. He put his hand to his head in pain as he sat up. "Ow… Geez, did someone hit me in the head with a rock and then drag me out into the jungle? This isn't funny!" he shouted. His voice just made his head hurt worse.

"What's not funny?" asked a voice behind him.

Dayton slowly turned around. As soon as he did, he instantly jumped back several feet, screaming. "Ah! Your tail's on fire! And that thing on your head! And… Oh my… I'm talking to a doll…"

The small red creature before him turned to look at his own tail. In response he screamed as well, and began running in a small circle. "Ah! My tail's on fire, my tail's on fire!" He stopped abruptly. "Wait a minute… My tails always on fire."

"I-it talks…?" Dayton uttered in disbelief. "Good… then I wasn't imagining it before." He laughed awkwardly before his eyes rolled back and he fell unconscious again.

A few minutes later Dayton came to again and saw the creature leaning over him.

"You know, you really shouldn't stand up so fast… If you do that's liable to happen," spoke the creature in a concerned voice.

Dayton cringed back away from the creature, more slowly this time. He took a moment to take in its features. It was small, probably about the size of a stuffed bear, albeit a large stuffed bear, and had short red fur covering its body. It wore a metal headband with a small flame burning on the front of it, and had metal bands around its wrists. It also had a tail, much like a feline's, but the tip was on fire, and there was a fluffy patch of yellow or orange colored fur on its chest. "Just what are you little guy?"

"Me? I'm Coronamon."

"Coronamon?"

"Yeah. I'm a vaccine type beast digimon."

"A digimon?"

Coronamon huffed. "Yeah! Don't you know anything!? Digimon is short for Digital Monster and that's what I am!"

"Right, alright! Don't bite my head off- er, uh…"

There was a long pause between the two. "I'm really **not** going to bite your head off you know…"

"O-oh… Uh, right…"

"It's too big to fit anyway…" Coronamon added.

"Uhuh… Yeah, it's… Hey, what…!?"

"So…" interrupted Coronamon, "what's a weird looking guy like you doing in a place like this?"

Dayton thought about it for a moment. "Actually, I'm not really sure, but a better question is probably where did you come from?"

"That's a terrible question! I've always been here! And don't change the subject, cause you're the one who's out of place here!" Coronamon huffed, snobbishly. "Honestly… I've never even met a weirder looking digimon than you… Wait…" Coronamon thought for a moment before casting Dayton a very serious look. "You didn't even know what a digimon was until a few seconds ago so… Could it be…? No, it just couldn't be…" Before Dayton even had a chance to react, Coronamon rushed toward him and hopped on his leg for leverage in order to stare him straight in the eyes. "Tell me something; are you what they call a human?"

Dayton swallowed nervously before answering. "Y-yes… Yes I'm human."

Coronamon continued to stare at him, but his expression had changed to one of disbelief. "No way… There's just no way…! It couldn't be… It's not possible! There's just no way you could be a human! You don't even have a digivice!" His expression had become serious again, and even a little frightening. Dayton backed his hand away, sliding it on the ground, but he stopped when he felt something.

He took hold of it and brought it before him. It was some kind of handheld device that looked kind of like the communicators in a sci-fi space opera. It had a small screen toward the top, with a black directional pad on the hand grip, and a trigger placed button on the left side of the grip. The casing was colored red. Coronamon was taken aback by the sight of it. "It… That's a digivice… But… but how…? Where did you get that!?" Conamon shouted.

"I… I just found it, that's all."

"You found it? …Lies! Lies, you must have stolen it! There's just no way… I'll never accept a weak looking creature like you as being a human!" With that, Coronamon jumped down from Dayton's leg and ran off into the jungle foliage, leaving Dayton to stare off in the direction he had run.

"What just happened here?"

* * *

_It can't be… It's just not possible…_ Coronamon sat on a log, staring out over the crystal waters of a lake. _It's crazy… Even if he is a human, he couldn't be anything more than just a child! There's just no way…_ He growled to himself. "There's just no way I'll believe that someone like that's going to save the world!" He punched the log he was sitting on in frustration. "It was supposed to be… They were supposed to be heroes… Great warriors from another world… How is it, how is it now that they turn out to be just kids!? Now when we need their help the most!?" _I'm not naïve… If this one's just some kid, then… all the rest are too… There's no way there's anything special about this guy._

Coronamon calmed himself down a bit before he continued his debate. "I used to think it'd be cool… I always fantasized about being one of the digimon that would fight alongside these humans… but if they're just kids… If they're just kids what good can they do!? I never really thought I'd get to meet one of the legendary heroes who would save our world, but now… Now I just think there must have been some kind of mistake…" _If these humans are just a bunch of weak kids, then maybe I shouldn't rely on prophecies… I could try to gather free digimon and form a resistance group… Even without the power to digivolve, we might stand a chance… Maybe… if there are enough of us…_ Then a thought occurred to Coronamon that made his stomache turn. _But even if we could win that way… just thinking of all that would be lost… There just has to be a way that doesn't involve so much destruction._

Just then, Coronamon heard a cry in the distance. It sounded like the person who called himself a human. _Hmph… And now the little punk's gotten himself into trouble… Well, that's what he gets for going in over his head I say…_ He heard another shout in the distance, as well as the roars of a very powerful digimon. _No… Bah! I can't just leave him! I have no choice. Whoever he is, he needs help!_ Coronamon turned and rushed toward the sound of the voice. He ducked and weaved through the leaves and brush, bringing the noises ever so closer, until he was right on top of them. He leapt over a hedge and saw a dark digimon bearing down upon the human.

"Corona Flame!" A small fireball launched from Coronamon's headpiece and hit the dark digimon in its side. Coronamon landed a few feet in front of the human. "What are you waiting for!? Get out of here, now; while I hold him off!"

"Well, yeah but…"

"Just do it!" shouted Coronamon fiercely.

Coronamon could hear his opponent shouting in retaliation. "Cable Crusher!" The monsters already long arms extended out like rubber. Coronamon narrowly evaded a powerful punch that slammed into the ground.

"Grr…! Wendigomon!" shouted Coronamon angrily. "You're through!" He weaved under Wendigomon's extended arm. Another punch came at him from the side, but he leapt over it nimbly. Rushing closer, Coronamon leapt into the air, now ready to strike. He reared back his arm and his fist burst into flames. "CoroKnuckle!"

"Howling Destroyer!" From Wendigomon's chest burst six cannons, each fired directly at Coronamon. It was already too late to dodge. Coronamon took each hit directly, being blasted back the way he'd come. He rolled backwards, his battered form hitting the ground hard, yet he still managed to roll onto his feet, sliding to a stop only a few feet from where the human stood.

"Coronamon!" shouted the red haired human, as he moved closer.

"Don't touch me!" retorted Coronamon. In spite of his best efforts, he found he was incapable of holding back his tears. "Just stay away!" he sobbed. "Even if you are a fake… I'm still going to protect you… But why…? Why are you still here…? Why didn't you just run away? Tell me, damn it! Why didn't you save yourself!?"

The human drew breathe a few times before answering. "I won't run… I won't run **because** you're trying to save me…" Coronamon's eyes widened in the surprise. He hadn't even considered that answer. "It's my fault you're being hurt," the human continued. "That's why I can't run away." _Is this guy for real…!?_

Another shout resonated in the distance. "Howling Destroyer!" Coronamon looked up just in time to see the energy shots before they hit him. He was sent flying back again, but this time he was caught by the human. _It just can't be real…_ Just then, he felt a strange power stirring within him. A power unlike anything he'd ever felt before. At the same time, the human's digivice began to glow. Coronamon felt like it was beginning to synch with his own energy. He felt strong.

Coronamon leapt forward, out of the human's grasp. He glanced behind him. "So tell me then… You say you're a human, but what's your name?"

"It's Dayton. My name is Dayton Rowley."

Coronamon looked forward, glaring at Wendigomon. "So be it then… So be it… Dayton Rowley, the accord between us has now been struck. Congratulations…" He could hear Dayton's confused reply, but he didn't have time to answer it right now. He knew that he had to finish the task at hand first. He cried out, "Petit Prominence!" As he did, his body was enshrouded in flames. "Now… It's over!" He let loose a battle cry and charged Wendigomon one more time.

"Cable Crusher!" Wendigomon's arms shot out in different directions. The first punch came from the right. Coronamon dodged ahead of it. The second attack came from behind and to the left. Coronamon leapt backwards, landing on top of the fist. Using the punches inertia, he leapt a great distance into the air. He began to dive at Wendigomon like a flaming meteor. "Howling Destroyer!" The cannons on the monster's chest fired.

"CoroKnuckle!" Coronamon's punch with the added effect of Petit Prominence deflected the bolts. "You're mine! CoroKnuckle!" Coronamon's punch struck Wendigomon in the forehead, and at the same time, the flames engulfing his body fired off, striking the monster as well. In a brilliant flash of light, Wendigomon dissolved into nothingness, while Coronamon softly fell to the ground, landing on his feet.

Coronamon glanced cockily at Dayton, waiting for his response. It was about what he'd expected… "That was awesome! I mean… Wow! You just completely decimated that guy! I mean really, decimated!"

"Heh… Well yeah! What!? You expected something different? Hyahaha!" With that, Coronamon abruptly fell over backwards, unconscious.

* * *

Coronamon slowly opened his eyes. "Ooohhh…. My… everything hurts…" It had gotten dark out. Dayton was sitting not far away. There was a small fire burning. 

"You alright? You've been out for hours."

Coronamon grunted. "I'll be fine as soon as I get some food… Ow…"

Dayton reached into one of his pockets and pulled something out, offering it to Coronamon. "What is it?"

"It's a granola bar," replied Dayton. "Food…"

Coronamon sat up and took it gratefully. He cautiously took a nibble at it. The taste made him gag. "Guh… How can you humans eat this stuff?"

"We take off the wrapper…" Dayton replied simply.

Coronamon looked over the 'granola bar'. He realized that it was covered in some kind of protective fabric. He tore it off and threw it on the ground, eating the contents on the inside. "Okay, so… Maybe it's not that bad…" He noticed that for some reason, Dayton picked up the wrapper and put it back in his pocket.

"You know… I'm starting to realize something…" Dayton said softly. "This isn't my world is it?"

"No…" replied Coronamon. "This is the digital world. It's a place where we digimon live. Yours is the human world, as you might have guessed."

"Right… Whoa, this is heavy…" Dayton paused for a long time before continuing. "I might never get home…" Coronamon didn't respond. It's not like he could relate or anything. "Hey…" added Dayton. "What did you mean earlier? Back when you said the accord between us had been struck?"

"I meant just that… I suppose since you don't know anything about our world though, I should start at the beginning. Simply put, there is a prophecy in this world that basically says that a group of humans would come to our world, and with the help of these machines called digivices, they would help to banish a great darkness from the world. A long time ago, the darkness in that prophecy had come to us, and since then we'd all waited for the human warriors who were prophesied as well to come to this world, but I never imagined that it would be a child who would come."

"A child? Hey, I'm not that young…"

"But whatever the case, you're not a great warrior. I just… I didn't want to believe that all our hopes rested on someone like you."

Dayton thought about it for a moment. "Yeah, that's not unnerving at all…"

"I couldn't believe that the heroes spoken of would be just ordinary kids. I just couldn't… There's no digimon in this world of any level who could defeat the tides of evil that have come upon us. But then I felt something, when I was fighting Wendigomon, I felt a strange surge of power when your digivice began to resonate. I suddenly felt much stronger than I ever had before, even though I was already badly hurt, and hadn't even digivolved."

"Digivolved? What's that?"

"It's… a method of growth that involves us digimon growing stronger. You'd have to see it yourself to really understand. Anyway, when I felt that strength, I knew… Your digivice had chosen me, and I had already accepted in my heart. From that point on, the two of us were partners, the accord between us struck as I had put it."

"We're partners? So wait!? You think I'm one of the heroes from the prophecy."

"You must be. All the pieces fit together. It must also mean that there are other people from your world here now."

"Other humans here? That'd be a nice change."

"Indeed… So then, partner, what next?"

"What?"

"You're still free to choose your own destiny. What do you choose to do next? Whatever you choose, I will follow you, and continue to protect you."

"This is all a lot to take in all at once… I suppose; can't we just rest for tonight and worry about it tomorrow?"

"That would be more than fine with me… Though, also…"

"Hm?"

"I… wanted to ask your forgiveness. I doubted you right away, yet you still stayed by me. You are an honorable human."

Dayton smiled. "Hey, no problem! If it wasn't for you, I'd be dust by now. You really came through for me back there. Thanks."

Coronamon smiled. "Yeah…"


	2. Episode 2: By the Power of the Moon!

Episode 2:

By the Power of the Moon!

_My name, is Samantha Reed, though you would probably like to call me Sam. I live with my mother in London, England. My parents separated when I was still young, so I can't remember my father. It's probably just as well…_

_I remember it clearly. It was a beautiful night out… The first snow of the season was just beginning to fall, but so far, hadn't accumulated. It was truly a spectacular experience. I'd always loved winter, though it was only very late fall at this time. The crisp air, snowflakes falling, and fading once they touched the ground… They all somehow came together to bring me… a peculiar feeling of peace; wellbeing._

_I found myself overlooking the River Thames, and the Tower Bridge in the distance; its many lights seeming to dance across the surface of the water. It was already rather late, and I felt that I had probably overstayed my curfew. I tried to convince mother that at fourteen I deserved a later curfew, but she just wouldn't listen… Likely, overstaying my curfew probably wouldn't have helped my case._

_I was just preparing to return home, when I saw something in the sky. It was a white light, that seemed to somehow be plummeting toward me. I continued to stare at it, believing my initial thought must have been mistaken, though I soon realized this wasn't the case. In fact, I suddenly realized that whatever it was, it would hit me if I didn't move._

_I turned and ran the other way, ducking behind a bench overlooking the river. I was convinced that the light must be a meteor, or something similar at least. I cringed behind my meager cover for a moment before finally realizing that nothing had happened. I looked up, and the light that had fallen from the sky was now hovering only a few feet off the ground. It looked like there was some kind of small object held within the light._

_By my curiosity I felt inclined to move forward; to find what this object might be. I slowly acted upon this inclination, inching forward, never once so much as blinking or removing my eyes from the strange glowing object. It didn't move or bob about, nor did it exhibit any obvious means of propulsion, yet it continued to hover, perfectly still in the same place. It may as well have been placed on a sturdy desk._

_The object seemed to be something similar to those games that kids are always playing, of course, those don't usually fall out of the sky… I wondered if the light was some kind of energy field. Logic would have that I just leave it alone. It's floating, glowing, and it fell out of the sky… Tell me that's not trouble! Of course… once again, curiosity would protest, and against my better judgment, I reached out to touch it. I was very cautious, as I deduced that it may be hot, and even burn me, but I felt to risk it._

_I prodded the object with my finger. The moment I did, the screen in the center lit up, and the white light around it disappeared, leaving the object to fall lightly to the ground. I bent over to pick up the object. As I had said, the object was similar to a video game or something. It had a small screen which was now glowing, a few buttons scattered about, and its casing was colored a very light blue._

_The light on the screen went dim, and I could hear what seemed to be rushing water. I looked up, and to my great surprise, as I'm sure you could imagine, I found the river rising up out of its banks to swallow me in its wave._

"Oh… bollocks…"_ I uttered in dismay, and with that, the wave came crashing down upon me, and I lost consciousness. This was only the beginning of a series of strange, unexpected, and fantastic events. This was the beginning of our story._

* * *

Samantha suddenly felt very warm. She opened her eyes suddenly, remembering the events that had seemingly just occurred. To her surprise she found that she seemed to be stuck in the middle of a tropical forest. She sat up, holding her head as she did. The change in temperature seemed to be getting to her. She took off her jacket and tied it around her waist. Then she rolled up the sleeves of her black turtleneck shirt. It was a little bit better, but she was still uncomfortable warm. However, short of stripping down to her underwear, she didn't see anything more she could do.

Sam examined her surroundings a bit more. She was in the middle of a small clearing. Beyond that, all she could tell was that she was in a sort of jungle with about averagely dense vegetation. It wouldn't be hard moving, but that doesn't do much for the heat. She was perplexed by the change of course, and naturally a bit frightened, but in spite of her confusion she knew she had to go somewhere. Whatever had happened to her wouldn't fix itself by want alone.

She sighed. "Well… This is just great… How long was I out? It's the middle of the day now."

"Hi there! Are you lost?" said a voice from behind her.

Samantha turned around, to see the figure of whoever had spoken to her. In a perplexing development, when she turned she didn't see anyone. "Hey!" the voice spoke again. Sam realized where the voice had come from and glanced downward. "You look very lost, I'd say," continued the small creature.

Sam stared in amazement for a moment before crouching down. She stared at the creature, examining its features. It looked something like a white, lop eared rabbit, but unlike a regular rabbit this creature had four ears, only two of which were lopped. The other two stood erect on its head. It seemed to walk on only two legs, but it wasn't clear whether it even had legs, as it seemed to conceal them with what at first appeared a dress, but on closer inspection, Sam realized it to be part of the creatures form. There were markings of the crescent moon upon its chest, arms, and forehead, and it wore a pink ribbon with a medallion depicting the moon on it.

Sam stared at its face; the creature seeming a bit uncomfortable with the exceeding amount of time Sam was taking to examine it. _It's… So cute!_ She prevented herself from vocalizing her thought, though she unwittingly cracked a childlike smile for a moment.

"Ohhhh!" said the creature in sudden realization. "That must be your special attack, right? Well I won't let you get me with it! Hiya!" She raised her arms into some semblance of a combat stance, though it seemed more comical than anything.

"Well aren't you a strange creature…" spoke Sam.

"Huh? Creature?"

"…kind of a cute little guy, too." Sam added.

"Ohhh…" The creature blushed, seeming to entertain the idea for a moment. She suddenly shook her head and reformed her stance. "Who are you calling cute!? I'm a great warrior of justice and love!"

"No you're not… You're a cute little bunny," Sam reiterated.

"Grrr! And another thing, stop calling me bunny, or creature! I have a name you know!"

"I'm sorry…" Sam said in earnest. "What is it?"

"Hmph… It's Lunamon, and don't you forget it! I'll be a great warrior some day!"

"I thought you said you already were a great warrior… Of justice and love no less; my my…" Sam teased.

Lunamon's face turned red. "Stop… Stop trying to confuse me! Whaaaaaa!" She began crying profusely. Sam reared back in response.

"H-hey! Don't cry! I was just kidding, honest! Sure, you're a great warrior of truth, justice, and food, er, whatever…"

"Whaaaaaaa, okay." Lunamon abruptly stopped crying. She smiled as though it had never happened. "I'm hungry… Do you have anything to eat?"

"Wha!? …Or maybe just food, and forget the truth and justice…"

Lunamon fumed, turning red in the face, and puffing out her cheeks. "Meanie…"

* * *

"Digiworld… So that's what this place is? And you're a digimon?"

"That's right," Lunamon replied, her attention fixated on the piece of fruit she was eating. "And are you really a human?"

"Of course I'm a human."

Lunamon's large eyes seemed to sparkle a bit each time she heard it again. "Wow! That's so amazing!"

Sam shrugged. "It's not really **that** amazing…"

"Yes it is! No one's **ever** seen a real human before! I'm going to be so popular now!"

Sam sighed. "Hey, tell me more about that legend stuff. Are you sure it's really about me?"

"Of course! It's not a daily occurrence that a human pops up! What else could it mean?"

"I guess you're right…" Sam wasn't so comfortable with the idea of being some great hero… Also, she noted that Lunamon didn't mention the legend saying anything about the humans actually winning. "But still… what do I do now? It sounds like the only way I'm going to get home is if I play along with your legend thing… So what do I have to do first?"

Lunamon thought about this for a moment. "Hm… Doesn't say…"

"That's a big help…"

"Hey, I didn't write the legend! If you have a problem with things being a little vague you can take it up with the guy who wrote it! Besides, you can always look on the bright side!"

"Bright side? Like what?"

"Like me! I'm the bright side!"

"Oh really…"

"Yeah! With me as your partner, we'll be able to banish the darkness for sure! Truth and justice will prevail at last!"

"I don't recall making you my partner…" Sam replied callously.

Lunamon huffed. "What are you talking about; I'm right here now; it's meant to be I tell you; it's fate; it's our destiny!"

"I don't know… It seems like an important decision and all… Maybe I should find someone a bit bigger."

"Oh, a short joke, is that it! Well, aren't, you, the bigger person for it!"

"That's not what I mean at all…" Sam folded her arms and smiled. "You're cute! I wouldn't want to let anything happen to you."

"I am not cute!"

"Oh for pity… take a compliment won't you?"

"No!" Lunamon puffed out her cheeks and folded her arms, pouting childishly.

Samantha smiled. _What a strange little creature…_ "Alright then… Let's go."

"Huh?"

Sam stood up. "Well, we're not going to become grand heroes of legend sitting on our rears now are we? So let's go."

Lunamon stared up in surprise for a moment before spreading a large smile across her face. "Yes! Let's go; let's go!"

Sam nodded, and the two of them began their journey… together.

* * *

"Wait…"

Sam stopped, to glance back at her partner. "What is it Lunamon?"

Lunamon's erect ears vibrated slightly, twitching a bit. "I can sense something… Someone's coming up ahead."

Sam turned ahead again. "Is that bad?"

"It could be…"

The two of them stood at ready, both preparing for what might be coming. Suddenly, two blobs of green sludge came through the trees. "Ah! Numemon! Run away!"

"Huh!?" By the time Sam managed to turn back to Lunamon she found that the creature had already put a lot of distance between them. "Hey! Some great warrior! What's the big deal with these guys?"

"You know, I think these girls a disrespecting us; what do you think?" said one of the Numemon.

"I agree! I think we should teach them a lesson," replied the other.

Both lobbed some sort of object at Sam, both missing. The realization of what they had just thrown at her sank in rather quickly, and Sam, deciding to follow in Lunamon's example, ran away screaming.

A few minutes later, Sam and Lunamon were heaving for breathe under a tree. "I think… we lost them…" heaved Sam.

Lunamon's ears seemed to tense. "Someone's coming again!"

"Oh no! Not more!"

Before either of them had a chance to flee, three black dinosaurs broke through the foliage. They each held a frightening expression. One of them was slightly larger, and more muscular. While the other two were pitch black, this one was black with red stripes covering its body. It seemed to be the leader of the group.

"These guys are bad news…" spoke Lunamon softly.

"My… What tipped you off?" Sam retorted. "At least they don't look like they'll be throwing poo at us…"

"Good thing too, since I don't think we could outrun these guys."

A concerned expression came across Sam's face. "I don't think we can outfight them either!"

"I can try!" replied Lunamon, defiantly.

"You should listen to the human," growled the leader. "We have no interest in you; mangy rabbit…"

Lunamon growled, but didn't say anything in response. Sam took a cautious step toward them. "What do you want?"

The leader raised his claw, pointing at Sam. "Just you girl… Just you."

"You'll have to get past me first! Hyaaaa!" shouted Lunamon, lunging toward him. "Luna Claw!"

The black dragon beat Lunamon away easily with his arm. "I told you to stay out of this." He returned his gaze to Sam. "Sorry, but I don't have time to explain to you just why, but your journey ends here. Virus Breathe!" The creature fired a dark bolt of energy from its mouth.

Sam didn't have time to get out of the way of the attack. "Tear Shoot!" she heard Lunamon shout. A ball of water intercepted the dark blast, canceling it out."

"I won't let you hurt my friend! Like I said, you'll have to make it past me first!" Lunamon still looked a bit dazed from being batted away, but stood defiant.

"Foolish… You leave me no choice then." He nodded to his guards, and they each moved toward Lunamon.

"Pepper Breathe!" they shouted, firing green fireballs at Lunamon.

"Tear Shoot!" Lunamon's attack stopped both fireballs, but she couldn't get to Sam anymore.

"Now… Where were we?" asked the leader in a sinister voice. He reared back his head, preparing for another attack. "Virus…!"

"Holy Shot!" came a voice in the distance. A beam of white light crashed against the dragon, sending it through the air into a tree. Sam glanced back to where the beam had come from. A digimon, resembling something of a white ferret with gold markings was rushing toward the scene, followed by a girl. The girl had dark skin and long brown hair, braided behind her head.

"Nice shot, Kudamon!" shouted the girl.

Kudamon stood on his hind legs. "Amara, that's BlackGuilmon. The other two are BlackAgumon."

"That's great, but what does that mean?"

"It means I won't be able to handle them all alone."

"Well try your best. We have to help them Kudamon!"

"If you say so," replied her partner with a sigh. It rushed forward. "Light Dash!" The ring on his ear began to glow, and emit a blinding light. Kudamon tackled BlackGrowlmon, who was just beginning to right himself again.

The light cleared and the BlackAgumon took another shot at Lunamon. Lunamon dodged their attacks, leaping into the air. She seemed to hover, her ears stretched out like crude wings. "Lop Ear Ripple!" She spun around, releasing a foam swirl upon the BlackAgumon. The swirls lifted them up, immobilizing them. "Tear Shoot!" Lunamon fired a graceful ball of water at one of them. The attack freed it from the swirls, but it seemed to be hurt from it. The other BlackAgumon freed itself by violently swinging its claws.

"Hey!" shouted Amara. "Use that Ripple move again!"

Lunamon nodded. "Lop Ear Ripple!" Once again the two BlackAgumon were swept up by the foam swirls.

"Now, Kudamon!"

"I understand. Leave it to me!" Kudamon leapt forward, the markings on its back beginning to glow. "Holy Shot!" The energy beam streaked across the two digimon held in suspension. The first seemed to disintegrate under the attack. The other looked like it was about to, but reconfigured itself.

"What happened to them?" asked Sam in surprise.

"It was destroyed…" Amara replied, casually.

"Destroyed?"

Amara nodded. "That's right. Digimon are basically data, so it's kind of like deleting a file. At least, that's what I can figure."

"Data? How can that be? They're right there. It's not like they're some computer program!"

"But they are a computer program. Kudamon told me."

"But… how…?"

Amara shook her head. "I don't understand it very well myself, but right now there are more pressing matters to concern ourselves with."

The remaining BlackAgumon staggered to its feet. It didn't look like it would last much longer. Lunamon began to move toward it, preparing for the finishing blow.

_This is… No, I don't want this!_ "Lunamon, stop!" Lunamon came to a quick halt a few feet from BlackAgumon. "You don't have to destroy them, Lunamon! That's enough already."

"Sam…?" Lunamon stared at her friend with a perplexed expression. She nodded. "Alright."

Lunamon had let down her guard. The BlackAgumon attacked her with its claws. She cried out in pain and surprise.

"Lunamon!" Sam was about to rush to her friend's side, but the BlackAgumon turned to her instead. It prepared to attack.

"Holy Shot!" Kudamon's energy beam tore apart BlackAgumon. The creature disappeared into nothing.

Sam ran to her friend, picking her up. Her expression showed her regret. "Lunamon…"

Lunamon opened her eyes, and stared weakly at Sam. "I'm alright. It's not that bad… I'm alright…" She smiled softly.

Sam held back tears. "I'm sorry… It's my fault you got hurt." She held Lunamon close to her.

"It's alright… I don't mind… You didn't want anyone to get hurt… I like that about you…. You're so kind, so it's alright."

Sam held Lunamon all the tighter… _I don't want anyone to get hurt… I don't want to fight, but… If I have to… I want to fight to protect someone… I promise you'll never get hurt like that again, Lunamon._ Sam didn't notice at first, but the device that had fallen from the sky was beginning to glow again.

Amara clenched her fist, turning to BlackGuilmon. "That was a pretty despicable shot your friend just pulled."

BlackGuilmon began to laugh maniacally. "You misunderstand. They weren't my friends. They were my underlings, and as such; disposable. There are many more where they came from."

Amara glared at him. "You're… worthless… How dare you treat them with such disregard. …You don't even care that they're gone, do you?" Now her own device was beginning to glow.

"Why should I care? They were expendable! All that matters is that I… Gyaaaaaahhhh!" His sentence was cut short by Kudamon's Holy Shot.

Kudamon glared at the spot where BlackGuilmon had just stood. "I doubt what you had to say was of any real value…"

* * *

"You're from India? Huh… That's interesting. I'd never be able to tell from your accent."

"I had… very good teachers," Amara replied. "You on the other hand… It's easy to tell where you're from."

"Perhaps… but I like the way I talk…" Sam replied in defense.

It had gotten dark out. The group had attempted to make a fire, but none of them were particularly skilled in that area. To that end, they camped in an open area, where the moonlight would help them see. Lunamon was asleep in Sam's arms, while Kudamon was curled up in Amara's lap, still awake.

"No, it's interesting…"

Sam was getting uncomfortable with the topic. "C-can we change the subject? For instance, did Kudamon say anything about…?"

"The legend?" answered Kudamon. "Of course. I already explained all that I know to Amara, and I expect that Lunamon has done the same with you."

Sam nodded. "To be honest, I'm not really sure… I mean, I'm not really… that much of a fighter. You saw what happened out there. I nearly got Lunamon…" She stopped abruptly. She didn't really want to finish.

"You shouldn't worry about such things. My theory is that the digimon that you humans bond with are compatible with you. To that end, they'll probably share many of the same traits and feelings you do." Kudamon's words weren't all that reassuring.

Amara stroked Kudamon's fur. "Well, whatever the case, we're together now. So that's good. To be honest, I find this whole thing to be a bit hard to swallow, but I guess if it's a dream, there's no harm in continuing to dream, right?"

"A dream…?" uttered Sam. _Is it possible I'm imagining this? Perhaps I am mad? No… I'm not inventive enough to think of something like this… Monsters… digimon? This place… I know it's real._

"In any case, the first thing I think we should do is search for more humans, like us. If what Kudamon told me is true, there should be more."

Sam nodded. "Right… Then we can all join our powers together and vanquish the darkness… or…"

"Something like that," Kudamon said with a small smile.

"Hiya!" shouted Lunamon suddenly. "By the power of the moon, I will vanquish evil; and that means you!" She slumped back in Sam's arms. "Muffins…"

"Is she sleep talking?" Amara asked in surprise.

Kudamon smiled. "It seems that she's already getting into the spirit of things."

Sam laughed. "Justice and muffins… Yeah, that's about right!"


End file.
